


The Ericson Rat Adventures

by ericsonclan



Series: Ericson's Diner AU [8]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Rats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24119812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Louis and Violet introduce their impromptu pets: The Ericson rats.
Relationships: Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Louis & Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: Ericson's Diner AU [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688374
Kudos: 11





	1. Rat Support

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

It was another normal morning at Ericson’s Diner when Louis came striding in, lugging a massive bag of pet food. He dramatically hoisted it atop the table where Violet, Clementine and Brody were sitting, presenting it with a dramatic flourish. “Here ya go, Vi. Child support, as promised,”

“Child support?” Brody asked, her eyes large.

Clementine crossed her arms. “There has got to be a good story behind this,”

“Oh, did I forget to tell you?” Louis grinned. “Violet and I are the proud parents of three rats now,”

“More like I’m the parent and he just buys them stuff,” Violet muttered, rolling her eyes.

“When did this come to pass?” Clementine asked, her gaze incredulous.

“Last weekend. Vi and I went on an impromptu road trip and along the way we came across the cutest pink and blue house. It had an Animal Sanctuary sign out front, so we decided to check it out,”

Violet snorted. “Little did we know how selective they were with the animals they saved,”

“What does that mean?” Brody questioned.

“The rats were feeder rats,” Louis whispered in horror. “You know, the kind kept around to feed snakes and other animals. They were going to murder each and every rat in that cage!”

“Louis got very emotional about the whole thing,” Violet smirked. “He actually started crying,”  
Louis stuck out his chin defiantly. “I feel no shame in admitting to crying over the deaths of innocent rodents! They certainly didn’t deserve that sorry lot in life!” His face suddenly brightened. “So we saved three!”

“Saved?” Clementine asked.

“Bought,” Violet corrected. “We had to head straight to the pet store from there to buy them a huge ass cage to lug them back home. Then Louis “conveniently” dropped by my place first and now I’m stuck with ‘em,”

“They’re super adorable!” Louis jumped in, ignoring Violet’s pointed glare. “Wanna see?”

Clementine and Brody both nodded, leaning forward to look at Louis’ phone. He had a lot of pictures.

“So the teeny one is Shitsticks, then the white one is Sonata and the fat black one is Sonuva,”

“Sonuva what?” Brody asked, eyebrow quirking.

Violet shrugged. “Whatever you want,”

“They’re certainly memorable names,” Clementine commented, taking Louis’ phone to look at the pictures more closely. “I’m guessing Violet named two of them?”

“Yep! We each got to name one then rock-paper-scissored over the right to name the last one.” He crossed his arms, glaring at Violet. “I still think Shitsticks is a pretty cruel name to give an animal who has no say in the matter though,”

“I think it’s cute,” Violet met Louis’ glare evenly.

“So, if you’re both the parents,” Clementine returned the phone to Louis, “How is that going to work? Are you going to transport the rats back and forth each week?”

Violet and Louis shook their heads.

“That’d be too stressful for them!” Louis exclaimed.

“I agree. I’m the rat mom and Louis is more of the cool rat uncle,”

“A title I bear with pride,” Louis grinned, tugging at his coat’s lapels.

“Well, I think they’re awful cute,” Brody commented. “How does Prisha feel about them though?”

A small smile crossed Violet’s face. “She was weirded out by them at first, but she’s already totally in love,” She held up her phone to show them her screensaver: a picture of Prisha lying on   
Violet’s bed, her arms full with the three rats while she fell apart with laughter. “A proud rat momma,”

“I suppose that makes me the cool rat aunt,” Clementine commented, a sardonic smile tugging at her lips.

“Do you mind?” Louis asked, his face a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

“Mind? I love it! I had a hamster named Peanut growing up; cutest thing ever. I bet rats are just as fun,” She leaned across the table, looking at Violet. “I want visitation rights,”

“Sure, as long as you don’t come over at some weird time like 3 AM or something,”

“I promise to be respectful and moderate in my rat visits. How does today sound?”

“Rat party!” Louis cheered, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Who says you’re invited?” Violet scoffed.

Louis held his heart in mock agony. “Torn apart from my children, and at such a young age! What will they do without a father figure in their lives?”

“Grow up with two badass moms,” Prisha interjected, stepping in to join the group.

“Prisha!” Louis exclaimed excitedly. “Parenthood suits you! You’ve already got that warm, maternal glow,”

Prisha rolled her eyes. “That’s for pregnant women, dingus,”

“Congrats, Prisha!” Brody jumped in. “You look super cute in the picture Violet just showed us,”

“Oh, you saw? I have my own new lockscreen too,” Prisha rummaged around in her pocket for her phone then pulled it out to reveal a photo of Violet giggling as Sonuva sat atop her head.

“Oh my god,” Louis gasped, taking the phone out of her hands. “I need this picture,”

Prisha snatched her phone back. “It’s yours if you send me the one of Shitsticks popping out of Violet’s hoodie,”

“Deal,”

“You two are getting along,” Violet noted, eyes narrowing. “I don’t like it,”

“Get used to it, Vi! Prisha and I are gonna have costume parties for the rat babies every weekend! It’s gonna be wild!”

“I do have to admit, I like the sound of that,” Prisha grinned.

Violet groaned. “What have I done?”

“It’s OK, Vi,” Clementine said, giving her shoulder a sympathetic pat as Violet buried her face in her arms. “It’s just one of the joys of parenthood,”

Violet sighed, pulling out her phone to look at her lockscreen again. “They are cute little suckers,”

“That’s the spirit!” Louis crowed. “Three cheers for the Ericson Rats! Hip hip!”

“Hooray!”

“Hip hip!”

“Hooray!”

“Hip hip!”

“Hooray!”

Thus began the lives and tales of the beloved Ericson Rats: Shitsticks, Sonata and Sonuva.


	2. The Ericson Rats Go to the Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violet, Louis, and Clem try to sneak the rats into the movies to try and watch with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (by Laura)

“Alright, you guys ready?” Louis asked, his eyes brimming with glee.

Clementine and Violet shared a smile before turning to him and nodding. Each of them were wearing a hoodie and within those hoodies were their contraband: the Ericson rats. Louis had Sonata, Clem carried Sonuva and Violet had Shitsticks tucked snugly away. The rats were surprisingly docile right now. Perhaps their owners’ body warmth was making them sleepy. It was for the best: they needed to keep things on the down low if they were successfully going to pull this off.

Louis silently motioned for both girls to follow. He approached the ticket counter with his signature charming smile. “Hello! Three for _Fast and Furious,_ ” The cashier seemed uninterested in the interaction, processing the order as silently as possible.

Violet stood behind Louis, a small smile appearing on her face as she reached inside her pocket and scratched behind Shitstick’s ears. She knew she shouldn’t have favorites among the rats, but this little grey furball held her heart most of all. She felt Shitsticks shift slightly at the attention and withdrew her hand quickly, not wanting to risk waking her up. Seeing that the tickets had been paid for, she shuffled along with Louis and Clementine to the concession stand.

“What do you guys want? I’m buying,” Louis reached into his pants pocket and pulling out his wallet.

“Pepsi and a large popcorn with tons of butter,” Clementine answered.

“OK, we can split the popcorn three ways, but it’s clear I’ll be needing my own drink now,” Louis quipped.

Clementine stuck her tongue out in retort.

“Sour Patch Kids and a Slushee,” Violet put in her order.

“Ooh, that’s a good idea! Maybe I’ll get a slushee too. What flavor do you want?” Before Violet could answer though his face took on a strange expression. “Wait a minute,” He reached into the front of his hoodie, his eyes widening in horror. “Sonata’s not there,” Immediately the three of them began scanning the floor, wildly searching for their missing rat. If she had run off, she could be lost within the theater or worse, caught within a trap.

They were about to split up when all of the sudden Louis let out a pronounced shudder. “Oh no. She got under my shirt. I think she’s crawling-” he hissed at the sensation, wiggling around frantically. “She’s climbing my back!” he whisper yelled.

“We’ve gotta extract her. Follow me,” Clementine declared, pulling the two of them towards the bathrooms. Thankfully it was a late night showing and there weren’t many others around. Clementine quickly handed Sonuva over to Violet before ushering Louis into the men’s restroom. Violet kept watch by the door, hoping that no one would come by before they could get Sonata back in place. She could hear sounds of the struggle from the bathroom.

“Clem, she’s crawling, she’s crawling- she’s up by my shoulders!”

“OK, lift your arms. We’re gonna have to take the hoodie off if I’m gonna get to her,”

There was a rustling of fabric and shuffling noses.

“You got my shirt too, Clem. Oh, Sonata’s crossing over. She’s past my shoulder, heading down-”

“Which shoulder?”

“Right. No, my right, Clem! Oh, her claws are tickling!”

“Don’t struggle! I just need to… got her!”

There was some indignant squeaking from inside the bathroom, but it soon calmed down. Clementine was the one carrying the rat treats; she must have given one to Sonata to mollify her. Clementine and Louis soon emerged from the restroom looking no worse for the wear and Clementine took back Sonuva, tucking him back into her front pocket.

“So…” Louis said, tugging on the strings of his hoodie. “Now that _that_ crisis has been remedied, how about we get our food?”

The three of them decided to stick together to help troubleshoot any issues that may arise if another rat slipped out. With snacks in hand they made a quick stop at the butter station where Clementine poured an absolutely sinful amount of butter upon their bucket before walking over to the proper theater. They’d showed up on time for the movie which meant that even with the Sonata mishap there were still some trailers playing as they found their seats.

They were able to find seats toward the back-left corner of the theater. They had intentionally chosen a movie that none of them were that interested in seeing as the test drive for their rat outing. They filed into their spots, Louis taking the farthest seat then Clementine and lastly Violet. Settling down into their spots, they each did a quick examination of their hoodie pockets, making sure their assigned rat was safe and happy. With that sorted out, they settled down to watch the film.

It was certainly a memorable moviegoing experience. The rats soon woke up more, wanting to roam outside the confines of the hoodies. They were allowed to have a certain degree of freedom, wandering along their owners’ legs or even crawling up and nestling in the crooks of their necks, but Clem, Louis and Vi made sure to know where each rat was at all times. When Sonata became especially antsy Louis and Clem switched, Louis taking the more docile white and brown Sonuva while Clementine let Sonata scurry back and forth between her hands, her white nose twitching in curiosity. Violet was secretly proud to find Shitsticks was the best behaved of all, only occasionally peeking out from her hoodie home and being content to mostly sleep within its confines.

The movie passed by quickly, a true popcorn film. They commented between themselves on the “edgy” characters and dialogue, playfully joking between themselves on what each of their roles would be if they were part of a street racing gang. Once Sonata had calmed down a bit and was returned to Louis’ hoodie they were able to truly kick back and enjoy the film, oohing and aahing at the special effects in the race sequences. Louis’ hand wandered over to take Clementine’s in his own, their fingers gently intertwining. Clementine and Violet continued their debate on who would be the faster driver between them, neither of them willing to give an inch or admit defeat.

Violet caught Shitsticks sniffing curiously at a piece of popcorn that had fallen onto Violet’s lap. With her screen dimmed, she did a quick web search to check if was alright to give a rat popcorn before handing the popped kernel over to the rat and allowing her to munch happily on it. The piece wasn’t one of the butter-drenched ones Clementine loved, so it should be fine. She looked over to see Clementine contentedly scratching Sonuva’s back before leaning over to whisper something in Louis’ ear that made him chuckle. Sonata was sleeping soundly somewhere within the folds of his hoodie.

Eventually the movie was over and it was time for them to head out. After making sure each rat was securely tucked away, they grabbed their remaining snacks and headed toward the exit. It was nearly 1 AM now, so the drive home should be peaceful. Once they were out the doors of the theater and beyond earshot of any of the employees, Louis gave a dramatic twirl, turning to face the girls. “Well, all things considered I think that went great! Operation Theater Rats was a success!”

“Agreed,” Clementine smiled at her boyfriend. “One slipup on our first try isn’t bad. I fully expected to get kicked out and banned from the theater before the movie finished,”

“That’s why we went to one of the shitty ones, so we wouldn’t miss it if that happened,” Violet said with a mischievous smile.

“Exactly!” Louis winked at his best friend playfully. “Me and Vi are on the same wavelength as always,”

Clementine looked round the mostly empty parking lot for Louis’ car. “So, back to Vi’s first to drop of the rats?”

“That’s right! Let’s go!” Louis began striding in the direction of his car, his steps fueled by excitement at their success. Clementine and Violet shared a knowing smile before following a few steps behind him. 

It had been a great night with their three favorite rats. They would have to do it again sometime soon.


	3. What to Expect When Rats Are Expecting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis comes into the diner with some very exciting news.

“Guess who’s pregnant?” Louis asked with a grin as he entered the kitchen.

Aasim and Ruby looked up from their conversation. “Is it Clementine?” Aasim asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Congratulations!” Ruby exclaimed, her face lighting up.

“What? No! God, no! It’s the rats!”

Aasim and Ruby met his statement with a blank stare.

“You know, the Ericson rats? Shitsticks, Sonata and Sonuva? The ones Violet and I adopted on our road trip!”

“Now that you mention it, I do recall something about Ericson rodents,” Aasim replied, looking rather put off at the idea.

“Exactly! Anyway, when we adopted them we thought they were all girls since they were in one big aquarium tank together, but looks like Sonuva’s a boy after all! Which, now that I think of it, makes his name more fitting…”

“Aaaw, how fun!” Ruby’s smile was as warm as ever. “Baby critters are just the cutest! How soon are they expecting?”

“Well, according to the all-knowing power of Google, pregnancies in rats start to show at around two weeks, so we should have teeny tiny babies by next week! That’s why I’m taking names now,” 

Louis whipped out one of the notepads used by Ericson’s waitresses, his pen already poised above it. “How many adorable rat babies would you each like to adopt? We’re expecting to have up to 24 total, so don’t be shy if you want more than one!”

“None,” Aasim answered, his eyes full of disdain. “Rats are nothing more than disease vectors and I don’t want them anywhere near my apartment,”

Louis gripped his chest in shock, letting out an indignant gasp. “I’ll have you know that my girls – and boy – are the cleanest rats you’ll ever lay eyes on. You should be honored if they deigned to   
walk across your chest with their perfect pink paws!”

“Now, Aasim, there’s no need to be rude,” Ruby chided, placing a hand upon his chest. She turned back to Louis. “Sorry, but I can’t take any either. My apartment super doesn’t allow ‘em,”

“That’s a shame. If things were different, you could have adopted a whole brood and introduced them to Aasim, melting his cold, dead heart with their whiskered cuteness. Well…” Louis sighed. “I’m off then. Gotta find somebody who’s willing to take a few of the rat babies. As much as I’d love to set up hamster tunnels throughout my entire apartment for them all to roam freely, Clem said no, so off to my next target!” With that Louis spun around and barreled through the kitchen doors. “Hey Brody, guess who’s pregnant! No, not Clem!”

\---

It was about a week and a half later when Aasim found Louis in the staff room, working away on some administrative work on his laptop. Aasim pulled up a chair beside him, deciding to wait till Louis had finished whatever he was working on before bringing up budget questions.

“Hey, Aasim,” Louis looked up from his work. “What’s up in your life this week?”

“Nothing much. The usual weekly concerns. You must have your hands full with all those rats though. Did you ever find someone to take the babies?”

“Oh, that. Turns out Sonata and Shitsticks weren’t pregnant at all, I was just overfeeding them. Oh, and Sonuva’s a girl too! Vi and I took them all to the vet and confirmed it,”

“Really?” Aasim felt slightly peeved at the nonchalance with which Louis had revealed this turn of events. “You couldn’t have just gone to the vet from the moment you thought they were pregnant instead of pressuring all of the staff to take the expected rat babies off your hands?”

Louis shrugged. “There wasn’t a need at the time. It’s too bad really. I was excited to be a granddaddy, and at the tender age of 22,” he let out a wistful sigh. “Oh well. At least this way our three girls get to live together in peace rather than Sonuva being all on his own. Her own. It’s gonna take me a few days before I get used to Sonuva being a girl again. Anyway, if you ever find yourself craving a rodent friend, let me know. Vi and I can point you right in the direction of the pet sanctuary we got our gals from. Adopt a rat, save a life!”

“Thanks, but I think I’m good. Do you have time to look over some budget reports?”

“Can we do it over lunch? Ruby and Omar have been working on this rabbit stew today, and the smell has been taunting me. What say we both grab a bowl then talk?”

“You’ll never see me turn down Ruby’s cooking. Let’s go,”

They rose from the table together to go grab lunch.

Aasim chuckled. “So next time you bust into the kitchen saying someone’s pregnant, we shouldn’t assume it’s Clementine?”

“Dude!” Louis hissed. “Keep it down! Clem almost had my ass when she heard I’d made people think she was the one expecting!”

“A fair response,”

“I know, I know. Someday though…” Louis froze as he saw the surprised look in Aasim’s eyes. “Shit. Don’t tell Clem I said that. God, I’ve got to learn to filter myself more,”

“I think you’re about 22 years too late in that endeavor,”

“Ha ha,” Louis quipped dryly. “C’mon, let’s grab the stew while it’s still hot,”

Aasim watched Louis as he followed him into the kitchen. To think that a talk about rat preganancy could reveal so much… It made sense though. The way Louis smiled whenever he was with Clementine it was a wonder the fool hadn’t proposed already. To marry so young though, and with a risky business venture just starting out…

“You boys here for the stew?” Ruby asked, her face ruddy from the steam. “I already set aside some bowls. Go ahead and dig in,”

“Thanks, Ruby! You’re the best!” Louis eagerly snatched up his own serving.

Aasim caught himself staring at Ruby as she went back to stirring the soup, a few stray wisps of hair curling around and framing her face beautifully. On second thought, maybe Louis wasn’t such a fool after all… He looked away sheepishly as she noticed his gaze.

“C’mon, Aasim! It’s back to work we go!”

“Coming!” These sorts of thoughts were too much for Aasim. Better to return to the land of numbers and figures with a nourishing bowl of stew to accompany him. These matters would sort themselves out someday, but that would surely take longer than the gestation period of a rat.


End file.
